A cat in a Coffer . . .

 I made the bed up with fresh linen earlier.  Of course, the girls were there to "help me".  At the last minute, I decided not to use the linen duvet cover but a summer-weight one instead.  When I lifted the coffer lid again (with difficulty, as I hadn't removed the 4 heavy curtains stored on top of it), who should I see but Pippi, who had been shut inside from when I got the sheet and mattress cover out a few minutes before!  Just as well I went in there, for she surely would have suffocated, even though the lid is a little bowed and some air could get in.  I have done some more vegan baking (two Cardiganshire Boiled Pineapple Fruit Cakes today, with the eggs replaced with stewed apple).  Just one more cake to do, but it doesn't need to be done until after the Fair.  I have found a fluffy Vegan Lemon Drizzle recipe for the final cake.  I shall ice it and if there are any Primroses left in flower, put a few Primrose flowers on it to dress it.

I asked one of the lads who is staying with my new neighbour, and helping him on his cottage, if he could put up the new curtain rail for me.  He was happy to oblige and it's up now and so is one new curtain.  Only one, because I had bought the curtains when I thought I was going to put up Tam's pole up, rather than the curtain track (which I had bought when we first moved here) and which was in the room.  Dumbo forgot to use Tam's.  So as the curtains had a hidden tab top, I have had to sew in some curtain tape, just attaching it to the tabs all round, so you can't see the stitching from the front.  I didn't want two rows of machine stitching showing.  I have the other one to do tonight.  The curtains are very light and the one that's up looks great and calms the green down.  I took photos but for some reason they won't load.

I did a good deed for the day when I found yet another Slow Worm by the wall.  A big one, so I put a dark box by its head and it went in and I let it go in the long grass on the bank.

I have been busy getting all the grass, brambles, wild Raspberries and Rosebay Willowherb from my two raised beds where I grow my beans.  I got two bags of FYM today - one for each raised bed - so if I am feeling energetic will wheelbarrow those across in the morning and get the young plants started.  They are well grown now, in their pots.  

Right, this won't do.  Time to be sewing curtain tops.

Wonderwool Part II - and vegan baking

 This should have been titled "shattered".  A busy day here today.  I spent the morning baking (I have had an order for vegan cakes and this clashes with the Fair so I am trying to get them all done/in the freezer before the start of the Fair.  I am not happy with vegan recipes - trying new-to-me recipes is not good - one today turned out not much more than an inch thick, yet I used a smaller baking tin than suggested.  Not wanting to waste good ingredients (and of course it's totally edible, just not very filling as I am catering for 16 each time), I made some Sugar Biscuits to back it up.  They should have had an egg in, so I substituted flax/water mix.  They baked up a bit cakey . . .  I can see I will have to keep experimenting until things turn out to my satisfaction.  At least the Chocolate Apple Cake (a well used recipe, which requires no eggs) was deep and as it should be. There was a mountain of washing up with this too, plus two oily trays from yesterday's roast.

I went and watered in the greenhouse as it got to 16+ degrees C today.  I sowed Cucumbers yesterday, and put my Monarda seedlings into pots.  Also sowed Borage.  My Farmer Gracey order arrived today, so those will go to soak for 3 - 6 hrs in the morning.

This afternoon I pushed myself and wallpapered the window wall, and little slips behind the radiators.  Totally Joe Bodgit as I wasn't in the mood and the bits behind the radiator are hardly seen and I used leftover cuts which look fine.  I am now round the corner on the far end.  I took down the falling-to-bits curtain rail and have put the lovely William Morris Golden Lily curtains which I will wash and pass on as I have no use for them here as they don't fit any other windows. Next I have to work out how to put up the new curtain rail.  I even set to and washed the windows inside whilst I was at it because they were grubby.  I will have to get the outside windows cleaned by my window cleaner next door neighbour.

Right, Wonderwool:

A Big Wheel (Welsh) from the Museum of Wales collection.  It must have been tiring stood beside this to spin on it.

This was a patchwork stand with lots of hexi project kits.  I loved this kit but stayed my hand, thinking I could probably do the bird myself and can certainly make hexi's and embroider beads on.  There were some kits with choirboys on - their heads were made of half a dozen teensy hexi's the size of your thumbnail - not for me!

Patterns used on Ganseys - Fishermen's jumpers - all individual so if they were drowned at sea, and washed up, they could be recognized by their Gansey.

Of course, I got my Luna Lapin book out the moment I got back.  NOW I have a reason to make her, and bought the felt for her several years back when I got the book.  The kits for her friends and her clothing weren't cheap though. 

One of the stunning patchwork pictures by textile artist Josie Russell, who I follow in Facebook.  She has them made into prints, cards, cushions,  Jigsaws, place mats, coasters etc too.  She's very talented.  I bought Jon one of her printed cushions of Aberystwyth for Christmas one year.

Various breeds of sheep on display.  Rosie was taken off screaming!  She wanted to stay :)

There were umpteen stands with deliciously coloured wools to tempt us.  Tam bought two lovely yarns to knit for Rosie with.

Tam loved this waistcoat.

Kantha stitched jackets and throws.  Tam bought a bum bag here.

This was a felt shoe stand (you bought the "ingredients" to make your own, and these felt bits were to decorate with.

Some people had dressed up specially - love the knitted "horns" on the hat of the lady on the left.

This suggests that the Fair was a great success - these are bags stuffed full of purchases, being kept in the Creche whilst their owners bought MORE!

So, if you ever get tempted to come to Wonderwool, you can see there is plenty to keep you amused and to part you with your hard-earned cash!!

Wonderwool - Part I

 

Tam, Rosie and I have had a lovely day out at Wonderwool, which is held every April on Builth showground.  It was £14 to get in (I winced) and I had told myself NO wool (and I was good).  I need to finish the things I started knitting last year and the year before and then perhaps I will allow more wool into the house.  All I bought were a steak pasty for lunch, and two dye plants - Woad and Dyer's Chamomile.   I will do a 2nd post tomorrow, but wanted to concentrate on this truly amazing Wartime exhibition, to celebrate the 80th Anniversary of VE day (which is 8th May).  It was knitted by knitters in France and beyond.

Needless to say it was all too exciting for little ones to sleep!  Especially once she had seen the SHEEP and then had a bit of a hissy fit when we took her away from them.  Outside, she also decided that she absolutely HAD to hold onto the side of her pram and help push it.  When deterred, another mini melt down happened.  Gosh, she knows what she wants, that child, so had to be distracted . . .  She's still awake now, probably not helped by having some of Tam's Blackberry Crumble ice cream (I had Raspberry Pavlova). 

I don't feel I will need much in the way of an evening meal tonight, after the pastie and ice cream, but there is mince with tomatoes and spicy Taco Beans in the fridge.

Gabby's here tomorrow and we will have our Easter roast a week late. Have a lovely weekend.

A short catch up

 I use a knob of butter to hide the pills in.    It's nice and slippery and you just pinch the top of the head and I slide a finger in the corner of his mouth and quickly push the butter to the back of the throat, hold mouth shut, and massage throat.  Works for L. Whale anyway.  Good luck with Mo.

Sorry no proper post yet today - going nutso with SO MANY jobs to be done.  Have an order for Vegan cakes so have to up my game - none of my "don't need to think too hard about making" favourite recipes and can't print off the recipes because I have had to order colour printer ink as that's out and it won't work with just printing in black and white.  SO much to do in the garden, cushions to finish making for my new garden seats (BARGAIN of the year, £42 for two seats and table at Morrisons, though I had to force myself to buy them with so much money going out this month), baking to do and I would LOVE to just sit down with a book.  As if!  

I had an interesting little visitor to my garden this morning, a Brown Banded Carder Bee.  I think . . . but few are so Hairy or that colourway.

Oh, I forgot to mention us girls had a lovely Italian meal in Cardiff on Wednesday.  I had a gorgeous King Prawn Tagliatelli.  Bet I couldn't replicate that at home though!  I love anything with King Prawns.  Gabby had arranged it so I could meet one of her friend's mums, who quilts, and she knew we would get on well - and of course we did - and are swopping ideas and meeting up at Malvern Quilt Festival in 3 weeks' time. 

Right, this won't do.  Out to the garden whilst the 2nd cake is still cooking.

  We had a look around the shops and saw where Gabby worked, and I people-watched whilst they looked at sunglasses.  Can you imagine a shop absolutely dedicated to (expensive!!) sunglasses?! I have a lovely pair which Gabby gave me as I had been just using a pair that someone left behind on my stall some years ago!!!  I have to say though, it seemed a long drive each way and a long day.  With carrying Rosie around a good bit at home, lifting her up to make the bells tinkle (I made a rod for my own back!) etc I was worn out.  Oh, and Tam and Rosie kept me company whilst I painted the last of the high bits in the guest bedroom, so still aching from that too.  

I have made two of the four cakes today - a Vegan Gingerbread and a Vegan Chocolate cake (with Courgettes in).  So that's a good start.  They are needed for 1st, 4th, 7th and 10th May (and I have a 3 day Fair in the middle of that, hence starting early).  Don't worry, I'm not doing it for nothing and being paid properly for my time and ingredients.

Now I want to get out in the garden for a little while before I start cooking my evening meal (to do me tonight and enough for Tam and I tomorrow).  After tea, a little sewing.

Queen of the Castle

 

Some friends of Tam & Jon's went to this castle last weekend.  It is Clifford castle, which has quite a history. Ahah I thought, I have finally caught it open (instead of finding out afterwards I'd just missed it).  It's only open a few days a year, and the rest of the time you can only admire it from the lane.  Yesterday was the last day it was open until May.  Above is the entrance through the Garrison.

Ivy-leaved Toadflax romped over the walls and there were many wild flowers to be seen.  A real haven for wildlife, especially those plants who enjoy a limey environment.

This is the entrance to the Gatehouse, and you can see the rebate for the door and the slot for the portcullis.

I love the way that nature had reclaimed the castle (now that the ivy had been removed).  You can see how Wallflowers came to be named.

Inside Rosamund's Tower.

Looking across to the Black Mountains.

Common Vetch.

I sat and daydreamed inside one of the D-shaped towers.  It was so warm and sunny and I had to drag myself away.

A pretty little apple orchard  near Glasbury.  Note the huge balls of Mistletoe.

Dandelions and Ground Ivy.

The castle, as many did, held a strategic position beside a crossing point in the River Wye on the Welsh border - with Wales being on the other bank.  Back in the day, the motte was surrounded by a flooded area and a moat of 10m deep to the West.  There was probably a wooden castle here as remains of post holes were found on the motte.  In 1067 William fitzOsbern (Earl of Hereford) owned the site and the marcher earldom it belonged to.  His son Roger inherited on his death but rebelled in 1075, and lost it to his b-in-law, Ralph de Tosny.   It gets the name Clifford from 12th C inhabitants of the castle, who held it for the de Tosny's (Normans with lands in France).  Local landowner Walter Fitz Richard married into the family (Margaret)  and took the name of Clifford and their daughter Rosamund, a notable beauty (her name is thought to derive from the beautiful red and white striped rose, Rosamundi.)  About 1174 she was dangled for the delectation of King Henry II and he rose to the bait and took her as his mistress - the "Fair Rosamund" who was the love rival of his real wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine.  So, Clifford is quite a romantic place and you can imagine my musings as I sat and basked in the sunshine.  

Their son Walter did well in life, playing an active role in Marcher politics, although that also included joining a major rebellion against Henry III in 1233 and in 1249 must have been the talk of the town when he defended his privileges as a marcher lord by forcing a royal messenger to EAT a letter from the king, complete with wax seal the size of a dinnerplate!  The male line ended with him and a certain John Giffard abducted Walter's daughter Matilda, and forced her to marry him around 1270.  The castle passed by a succession of marriages between marcher lords and heiresses until it reached the Mortimers.  Around the time of Owain Glyndwr it was still habitable, but fades out of history after that.

I was so pleased to have finally gotten to visit it and only regret that Keith and I didn't get there together.  The current owners have made a big commitment to its preservation and I have to say, it was a delightful visit - compared with how ivy clad it was in the past.

Malvern - and Bank Holiday Hailstones!

 Up at 5 a.m. to go to Malvern.  My friend Pam offered to drive me, so I was happy to accept.  It was already raining when we set off and the forecast for rain at Malvern was spot on.  I got quite damp walking round (Pam and I split up as we walk at different rates, browsing).  The outside stalls were down by half, if not two-thirds and nothing really amazing.  I bought a few things, then a well grown Spirea japonica for Tam - 3 times the size and cheaper than the one she was looking at in the garden centre recently, and found a gorgeous little vintage painted wooden rabbit for Rosie, and treated myself to a lovely transfer print Olde Foley Ware bowl.  Two pieces of china have gone from the dresser shelf to justify one coming in.  Not quite the Swedish Death Clean yet, but I have to have sort through my china.  Fortunately the hailstones (which I forgot to mention yesterday) didn't arrive until I was back indoors, but then chucked it down.  Not what you want in April.  

I loved this painting of a tree in blossom - which looked better in real life.  At £285 though, it stayed put!!

Not even remotely tempted!  Now, if you are going to paint a horse, at least paint one worth the effort, and not this ewe-necked, straight-shouldered, croup-high, bucket-headed animal!  No Way could I live with that on my wall!!

A nice old hand-quilted probably Welsh quilt.

An unfinished use-up-your-scraps quilt top.  I think it was £35.

Twister pattern cushion.  I did this design for a table throw. Only prettier fabrics. 

Corner of a studio pots and glassware stall who is there with nice things each time.

A selection of stuffed corvids for your delectation.

Possibly the worst item of taxidermy I have ever seen - perhaps it was a manky fox to start with!

I was intrigued by the headless, armless Madonna? and the copper "baby-case"? at the back!

I should have zoomed in on the little items with moss and tiny eggs.  They were pretty.

The square box front left contained a lovely old vintage wooden cube jigsaw which had I think 6 different jigsaws, depending on which way you turned the cube.

Tam's Spiraea japonica.

My Olde Foley Ware bowl with deliberately blurred panels in between the design.

Rosie's rabbit.  I couldn't resist.

Now I am home so will catch up on the washing up and do very little for the rest of the day.  L. Whale into the vet for 9 a.m. so no hanging around tomorrow morning either.  I hope they can remove the claw under sedation, as they hoped, rather than knocking him out completely.